Conjoined twins are an extremely rare phenomenon, estimated to occur once in every 50,000 pregnancies.
Around 70% of conjoined twin births are female, and a large majority are either stillborn or die within a day.
Given this, the birth of healthy twin boys Ronnie and Donnie Galyon, fused together in the womb at the abdomen and pelvis, defied all odds.
The brothers continued to beat the odds throughout their lives, eventually becoming the oldest conjoined twins ever recorded.
They were 68 – over five years older than the previous record holders – when they passed away in 2020.
Born in Dayton, Ohio, on 25 October 1951, Ronnie and Donnie spent the following two years in the hospital, with doctors ultimately deciding that they could not be safely separated.
The twins each had their own heart, stomach, liver, lungs and kidneys, as well as their own set of arms and legs.
Their anatomies were joined at the urinary and lower digestive tracts, with a single rectum and a partially shared bladder which emptied into one penis that Donnie controlled.
After news of their birth spread, the twins’ parents Eileen and Wesley were inundated with offers to exhibit them as a sideshow attraction.
They initially refused, but with nine children to support, and after the twins were denied formal education due to being deemed a distraction by local schools, Wesley started taking Ronnie and Donnie on the road from the age of seven.
And so began their three-decade career travelling in circuses, sideshows and fairground carnivals throughout the USA, Canada and Latin America.
They became celebrities through their tours, earning enough money to provide for their family.
Living independently
In 1991, aged 39, Ronnie and Donnie retired and bought a house in Dayton where they lived independently for two decades.
They had some support from their younger brother Jim and his wife Mary, who lived in the same city.
With four arms and four legs to coordinate, the twins developed their own methods of navigating daily tasks. For example, they shaved each other’s faces in the morning rather than doing their own.
They made their own food, did their own laundry, and were able to shower unassisted.
They enjoyed going outside and were active in their community, moving around using a custom double wheelchair.
Although they would have liked to get married and have children, their condition made it difficult to form personal relationships with women.
Sleeping was complicated; for most of their lives they took turns because they couldn’t both lie flat at the same time, but in 2010, aged 59, they were gifted a custom-made chair bed which enabled them to sleep at the same time.
They made several TV appearances after retiring, such as The Jerry Springer Show in 1997, Guinness World Records Primetime in 1998, and a TLC documentary in 2010.
Just like the oldest female conjoined twins ever, neither Ronnie nor Donnie ever expressed any desire to be separated.
We were born this way by God and we are happy the way we are – Donnie
Differing personalities
Despite being conjoined, the twins differed in many ways, including their political opinions.
Ronnie had an easy-going nature, whilst Donnie was more serious.
And Ronnie was lazier than Donnie, whom he called “the little wife” because Donnie did most of the household chores.
Just like all brothers, they occasionally fought, but unlike most brothers, they could not be separated. This often resulted in them giving each other black eyes, and on one occasion their injuries required stitches.
Jim said that his brothers could take up to five days to settle their disputes, with Ronnie usually being the one offering to make up.
According to their family doctor, Glenn Kwiat, the twins were stuck at a mental age of around 10.
Their hobbies included playing with toy cars and watching TV, although they often disagreed on what to watch, even when they eventually got two separate televisions (“If he turns his up, I turn mine up,” Donnie once said.)
Ronnie’s favourite pastime, according to Jim, was eating. He would often “gorge himself” on food, contrasting Donnie who was a lighter eater.
Jim looked after their finances, paid their bills and gave them a monthly allowance, fearing that they’d spend all their money on toy cars if given the chance.
Becoming the oldest conjoined twins ever
In 2009, the twins were hospitalized after Ronnie suffered a viral infection that resulted in a life-threatening blood clot in his lungs.
They required round-the-clock care afterwards, needing help with almost all tasks, including using the toilet.
An outpouring of donations and volunteers from the local community helped fund and build a handicap-accessible extension to Jim and Mary’s home, where Ronnie and Donnie lived out the remainder of their lives.
In July 2014, they surpassed the age of their heroes Chang and Eng Bunker, who died aged 62 in 1874.
They then officially became the world's oldest conjoined twins ever upon their 63rd birthday, matching the widely reported age of the then-recognized record holders Giacomo and Giovanni Battista Tocci (Italy, c. 1877–1940).
Ronnie and Donnie had dreamed of being in the official Guinness World Records books their entire lives and were thrilled when they were finally featured.
They sadly passed away due to heart failure on 4 July 2020, aged 68 years 253 days.
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